Anya
by SmallPrettyLittleWondersInLife
Summary: Hannah Snow, now forty-six, thought death was far away for her. But a car accident changes everything, and Hannah finds herself being born again, reincarnating into Anya Drakymir. Only this time, things won't be so easy if she dies once again. Rated T because I'm really paranoid.
1. Chapter 1: Hannah's End

**A/N: Her name is Anya for now, but later on she will be addressed as Hannah. **

**Disclaimer: I bet if i start singing FRIDAY by Rebecca Black, i won't have to do a disclaimer anymore. I don't own the Night World. Why do we do disclaimers anyway...**

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><p>Chapter 1: Hannah's end<p>

It could not be happening.

Not this soon...she had only a few years with Thierry. Well, no. She had about thirty years with him; she was only forty-six now, and she looked ten years younger. Maybe it was living with vampires or witches, and maybe the magic made her look younger, but right now her wheat-colored hair was free of silver strands and fell to her waist, and her wise eyes did not look tired, but gentle and maybe strangely peaceful, but this was usual for old souls. She and Thierry though...was it really thirty years ago that she discovered her soulmate? It seemed like only four or so. And even if she lived to be a hundred there would not be enough time...but they had more life times, if he could find her. After all, she was an old soul. And maybe that knowledge was what made her feel so calm when the turnip truck bumped into her blue little ford, a simple thing she had gotten as an eighteenth birthday present. The year Thierry had decided that Hannah was too "natural" to be riding in a tacky limousine, and he asked her what kind of car she wanted, and she chose a simple one. She could've had a jaguar, a silver or hell, even a 911 turbo made of GOLD, solid gold, but she chose this tiny little thing that held four passengers and coughed loudly when it ignited. Now, she wished she had a faster or stronger car, one strong or fast enough to save her from the accident that would end her life. The truck hit the side of hers roughly, and then moved away hazily, only to make a drunk loop back to her own car, hitting her again and shattering her windows. The car flipped over many times, glass cutting into her skin and the groceries she had bought dancing around. But this was not what killed her. It was just that in Las Vegas, driving off the road usually meant driving into a desert, and in this particular part there was a lot of old wood and stone, and so when her car flipped over one last time, it landed on an old, broken tree with spiky, sharp branches jutting out. Her car landed on the broken tree harshly and with force,or enough force to drive one of the branches straight into her body. Not just into her body, but past her body; the other end of the stick peeked out from her back. Everything was fuzzy and gold for a minute; she heared muffled voices and her ears were filled with electricity, a statical buzzing that made the noises called "voice" sound like the way the adults in Snoopy talked; bwonk bwonk bwonk bwonk...nothing made sense. Her vision was confusing, nor dark nor white, nor colorful, just...confusing. And she felt pain, but soon it started fading away, and saw herself, her body. Hannah Snow's body. She saw it as she flew away from it, toward another end, a place where she would be reborn. Hannah Snow looked peaceful, surprised, sad, and thoughtful, but mostly peaceful. Her fine hair was spilled around her like a spill of wheat, and her mouth looked vulnerable. Her eyes were half closed, half open in a dreamy manner, and she was clutching the steering wheel with long, delicate fingers that a ballet dancer would die for. There was the branch's point peeking out from her back, blood staining her blue shirt. She got a glimpse of people surrounding the car, police sirens going off, Lupe crying into her hands, Thea Harman with her head buried into Eric Ross's shoulder, Mary-Lynette Carter staring, wide eyed and disbelieving, at the car...and Thierry. He looked so sad, so lost, they way he had that first night Hannah met him. The light drained from his eyes. Sarah Strange, the gentle, shy willowy wild power kneeled by the car, looking gentle and very sad, mumbling a few soft words as Mal and Karlien stood beside her like guard dogs. But it was Thierry that made her heart ache. He looked so fathomless, so empty...and yet, she was still connected to him, and she used that connection to send him one last message.

_goodbye. _

It was a weak telepathic thought, very weak and faint, but she knew he had heard her. She could feel his desperation, trying to full her back with the silver cord, but it was too late. Morgead Blackthorn had been able to save Jez Redfern, but Jez hadn't been completely body, half human and half vampire, had been at battle, trying to fight eachother, seeing which side was dominant; vampire wood poison or human resistance to wood. With Morgead there to drag her back, the human side had won out. But Hannah was purely human, and by the time Thierry had been informed of the accident, she was already gone...and then there was darkness, and she was in that same dark room full of mirrors, images of herself in the old times. Hanah of the three rivers, standing still with her gentle and wise, soulful look, wearing a deerskin dress, a bright, red mark on her cheek. Annette, beautiful and loyal, with a paler yet still fresh mark, wearing grand clothes. Ha-nakht, wearing her priestess robes and having her hands clasped in prayer, the red mark only half a shade lighter than Hana's mark...and at the end, fading in slowly, Hannah Snow, the birth mark now a pale, rose pink on her cheek, like a spot of smeared blush, looking almost exactly like Hanah of the three rivers, but older than any of the other images; a woman, wise and happy, wearing a blue button up and jeans, with a wedding finger on her left hand, looking whole and...accomplished, something only Hana of the three rivers looked. Hana and Hannah, her only two lives where Thierry had been the good guy...her soulmate...she hoped she would remember him more in her next life...and then another image appeared, after Hannah Snow. The girl looked only slightly different than Hannah Snow; her hair was a little darker and fell to her elbows in waves, her eyes wide and vacant, high cheek bones. She looked more like a drawing, though a vivid one, like a doll not come to life yet. A sculpture. And slowly, Hannah felt herself- her spirit- draw closer to the new image, and as she got closer, she forgot things. Forgot the name Hannah Snow, forgot Ket...forgot Hana...forgot Anette, Ha-nakht, forgot the Night World...forgot music, forgot Chess, forgot Circle Daybreak...and soon her memory was almost blank, and the last thing she forgot was Thierry. But she did not forget him, or anything. It was still there, but hidden by thick, white fog, a fog only someone could uncover...who? who was she? what was happening...she felt herself enter the body of the girl in front of her, and the fog got thicker, and everything was gone.

She was no longer Hannah Snow.

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><p><strong>So. School. Sarah Michelle Gellar. Who else is obsessed with Buffy? I like Willow too. But i don't know whether to pick Oz or Tara...you tell me. Woz or Twillow? Don't be homophobic...just pick one.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Remembering

**A/N: In Cross Country today, we did eight 100 meter runs, racing eachother, and i beat the fastest girl in the team. I'm so proud of myself. I wonder if i can do it again. Also i thoughyt Ran (or Ren? the guy who wanted to mate with Ket?) should also reincarnate, so i'm calling him Nate. **

**Disclaimer: I bet if i start singing FRIDAY by Rebecca Black, i won't have to do a disclaimer anymore. I don't own the Night World. Why do we do disclaimers anyway...**

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><p>Chapter 2: Life's boring without Maya. (Just kidding, the chapter is called something else)<p>

CHAPTER 2

REMEMBERING

Anya Drakymir felt a cold substance brush her cheek, and then shivered deeper into her white winter coat. It was lovely in Colorado, really, especially during the winter; she didn't regret the decision to come live with her dad for one minute. But the weather was so bipolar, as if mother nature herself was undecided whether to make it cold or hot or just right; sometimes, you could see all four seasons in one day, autumn in the morning, spring at noon, winter in the afternoon, and summer in the evening. Right now Colorado decided it wanted to be cold, even so it had been in the high 90's only half an hour ago, maybe forty minutes. The snow was light and shaped like a stroke of brush, like a tiny paint splatter of white, small and beautiful, coating the trees and ground like sugar and gleaming frost. The steps of Anya's school were frozen and slippery like an ice rink, and after zipping up her jacket and slipping on a pair of dark blue gloves, she gripped the brick walls steadily and tried not to fall on her back, or face. It was a hard thing to do, trying to keep her balance while towing a hundred-pound (okay, that was a hyperbole) backpack and trying to hurry across the yard, where a few other students were scattered about. She didn't want her books to get wet; she had four tests to study four, a ten page essay, and her brand new book on dinasours was also in there; she did not want to lose that. Once books were wet, the pages rippled and the ink blurred, and this book had a lot of new facts inside, and a few photos of fossil samples the author had found-

"Anya!"

Anya whirled around to find bright green eyes staring at her, eyes of one who held the title of Jess, her best friend, with cat-like eyes, mild mona-lisa smile, porcelain skin and hair that put darkness to shame. Anya smiled, a little startled and breathless, and unbalanced too; she skid about an especially slippery patch of ice and had to take hold of a pine tree branch to steady herself. Jess looked amused, her eyes bright. "You scared me, Jess! What are you doing here? Not that i'm not glad to see you, but..." Anya checked her watch, one her dad had brought for her a few months ago, when he discovered she was always late and worrying about the time. This watch solved almost all the problems in her easy, fun life. Well, she was comfortable, to say the least. At first it was weird looking at her wrist for the time, but after a while it became second nature. Just now it said seven-thirty, and corss country practice had ended almost two and a half (or three) hours ago. Jess was part of the cross country team and naturally should be home complaining about the pain in her legs and her feet falling off her ankles. "I could ask you the same question, missy! I know you have that drawing thing - Art-titude club, is it? - but i'm sure that doesn't go on for four hours. Come on, spill the jelly beans!" Jess loved jelly beans, and clothes. Lots of clothes. Anya smiled and adjusted her backpack on her left shoulder comfortably. "You know Nate Williams?" Of course Jess knew who he was; what a silly question. Nate Williams was infatuated with Jess, always pestering her at lunch time, and trying to talk to her in gym, joining every extracurricular activity Jess mentioned she was currently doing, and Anya thought he had a shrine to her in his locker. She wasn't sure. She thought it was cute, sweet, that he liked Jess so much, but if Jess was any interested in boys, she hardly showed it. She would flirt for fun, but only that, and she turned down anyone who came and asked. And come and ask they did. Anya did the same, but gently. She felt respect that boys had the confidence to even ask her and felt quilty saying no, and though Jess encouraged her to date, Anya could never date anyone in her school. She knew this like she knew two plus two is four, like the sky is blue and humans drink water. Anya felt as if she was waiting for something, or rather, _someone_. And Jess said Anya was just being a hopeless romantic and waiting for that knight in shining armor to come by, but Anya knew she wasn't. In fact, she felt as if she had already found the knight, but he was dead - or something equally sad- and she was the confused princess, waiting and waiting for him to come back from battle. He'd already rescued her, but now he'd gone again, and until then she had to wait. She couldn't be unfaithful. It made her heart ache, though, to see the disappointed and sorrowful looks she caused by rejecting boys. There was no other way. So, as the question was silly and Jess did indeed know Nate Williams, Jess raised her eyebrows and nodded. "Yeah, i know Nathaniel. Why?" She sounded suspiscious, amused, and even as her mona-lisa smile danced on her lip glossed mouth, Jess put a hand to her hip. "Don't go telling me you were out with him or something equally disgusting," Jess joked, but she was serious. Anya laughed. "No! But in chemistry today, he accidentally made a mess with the chemicals and fire and so i went to help him and the teachers clean it up. I didn't have anything else to do..." Suddenly she remembered her book. Oh no! It might be wet now! She had to get inside somewhere warm. Thankfully, her high school wasn't too far away from the downtown, and there was a starbucks about four blocks away. She could make a dash for it. She suggested getting coffee and Jess agreed.

That simple. It was only a coffee, and dry shelter, that she was after. In the end, Anya got so much more.

They half-ran, half-walked, to the cafe. The warm walls were covered in strange and exquisite art and comfortable chairs were nestled in front of a fire. She saw the fire from outside, too. That was not what made her go crazy, go bonkers, lose her mind. She was always composed and wearing a thoughtful, kind of apologetic and lost look, according to her friends, so it came to Jess - and later, the others - as a surprise when Anya lost her head. And it didn't take much for her to do it, for her to go crazy. It hardly took anything! You might expect some traumatic event, maybe involving death or a U.S navy ship, or maybe too many laffy taffys (she liked those), but noo...she lost her mind in the craziest - no pun intended - way possible. They were hardly 50 meters away from star bucks. The snow wasn't falling any longer, but the clouds were gray and soon it was start to rain. Thunder laughed in the distance and lightning colored the sky every few minutes. The starbucks was located by Kingsoopers, a large grocery store, and a small restaurant (and Anya could never remember its name) and a few trees were planted by a sign reading what you'd find in the little store area, Hallmark, a bank, gasoline, groceries, and of course, starbucks and that restaurant. Behind the sign were a bunch of rocks, and behind those rocks were those trees. One of the trees used to be a pine, but it's trunk was infected by a strange bug and they had to cut it down to stop any harm from spreading to the roots of other trees and killing them. So, they had been cutting down the tree, and now only half of the trunk was left. However, they were not done cutting the tree, and so a few bits of wood were unevene, jutting out everywhere with poky, sharp ends. The picture of sharp wood and a tree trunk struck at her, and she stopped walking, but only for a second. It only startled her, and she had a strange sense of deja-vu, and then it was gone and she ignored it and kept walking. But then the real thing - the crazy thing - happened. It was starting to drizzle, and a cute couple was walking by. The girl was about thirty, with dirty blond hair that fell to her shoulders, pale december skin and hazel eyes. The boy had black hair and brown eyes. They were walking hand in hand, and the girl stepped on a rock. A small move that made her go off balance, and she tripped, falling forward and towards the tree trunk, and Anya froze. She felt herself being pulled back in a strange tunnel, but she was so frightened by the scene that she dragged herself back to the present. The girl would fall on a sharp point and cut herself, maybe even die if the wood was strong enough to pierce skin, and it certainly was sharp enough. The girl shrieked in surprise, falling forward, her dark blond hair covering her face, and something very strong and powerful, beyond deja vu, hit Anya like a heavy stone slapping her cheek and a whip lashing her back. She screamed. She saw not a stranger with blond hair falling into those sharp wooden sticks, but herself, only it didn't look too much like her. It was a woman much older than Anya, about forty, with tan skin and grey eyes much like hers, wheat hair and beautifully sculpted face. And she was falling, falling towards wood too, wood that would surely mean her death. And she felt as if she was losing something, losing something so dear to her, something she'd finally found after years of searching and tears and confusion and deaths, only to lose it again...Oh, what a strange thing to be feeling! And she felt calm. Anya knew the woman about to die was her even if she didn't look exactly like Anya and even if Anya wasn't forty and even if Anya hadn't died before. The wood pierced the woman, cutting right through her heart and ribs and back, and she felt oddly calm...then the vision was over. Anya felt startled and as if she's just woken up from a very deep and long sleep by being hit with icy cold water. Startled, fresh, awake, confused, surprised...and then she saw the boy come and save the girl just before she touched the wood, pulling her back and into his embrace, and Anya felt her throat go dry and her lungs hurt and she heard herself screaming. Jess was staring at her, wide eyed and bewildered, brows knitted together. Anya kept screaming, feeling the terror of the vision, knowing she'd died...and then the strangest thing happened. By now Anya had pretty much already gone crazy, what with seeing herself or someone who wasn't her but WAS her die, and the oddity of having a vision period, and seeing someone else come so close to harm, and having that feeling of being awakened...only that wasn't enough to make her crazy. Anya was strong; with a bit of sanity she could've pulled through and come back to normal. But then a thought popped into her head. No, not a thought; a voice. Someone else's voice, a strangers voice, one that rang bells but Anya had never heard before. And the voice was gentle and soft, but mature, and it was saying:

_Why wasn't anybody there to save ME? _

And then came another voice, one like crystals and rainbows, so beautiful Anya ached to hear it in her head again after it was over:

_You know he couldn't do anything about it. He wanted to save you. Sometimes, even the best isn't enough. Forgive him. _

But then another voice came...this one darker, like a cool wind, a voice a teacher or scientist might have, or a warrior, a voice full of reason:

_No! Don't forgive. He let you die again! He swore he'd be there for you and he wasn't. He let you down again, and you're going to keep dying and he won't be there. Never. Look at that, he hasn't found you yet, and he hasn't started looking! Forgiveness is weakness. He keeps thinking he can play you, but he can't! HE CAN'T! He doesn't care. It's best that he hasn't found you here, now. Maybe for a change you can have a normal life, without HIM in it! _

And all at once, hell broke lose! The three voices in her head started to argue, the gentle mature voice Anya felt most familiar with - somehow - torn between forgiveness for someone Anya didn't know and a grudge, the crystal voice of kindness forgiving, the cool wind voice cold and accusing and angry. And that was what made Anya go crazy; the voices in her head. Was she schizo? It just wasn't normal to hear voices in one's head. And the visions? She must be mad! Jess was looking at her strangely. "All right there, A?" Anya let out a long breath and nodded, trying to smile, but she felt dizzy and confused, half awake and half asleep, as if there was something she should know...! "Y-yes," Anya whispered, then cleared her throat and repeated it again. Jess raised an eyebrow - Anya admired her ability to do so - and asked, "You sure? You look pale." Anya managed a more convincing smile.

"Yeah- of course. Except that i'm wet! Let's go inside."

And inside they did go.

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><p><strong>T<strong>hierry Descouerdes looked out the window and sighed.

The windows were tainted, but he could see the faint outlines of bright, lit-up buildings as they passed through New York. They were heading back to the airport. Searching for Hannah was going terrible. He missed her so much sometimes it was a physical pain - even Ash Redfern had Mary-Lynette now, and boy did the girl ever know how to hold a grudge, Thierry was surprised she'd forgiven him so soon. Thierry was nineteen, in simply put terms, but his soulmate's age was undetermined. It was so hard, trying to find her. She'd reincarnated very soon, and that on it's own was amazing, a sure sign of good luck. The older Hannah got in each life, the longer she lived, the sooner she reincarnated. It was his hypothesis, at least. He'd known as soon as she had been born; felt it, actually, emotionally and physically, and somehow he'd just know, felt hope inside, and something else. First he waited a few years, to make sure she could learn to talk and walk and read and write and do mathematics properly before he went searching for her; if his soulmate was a newborn baby, how could he ever really 'find' her? The soulmate connection was mental, sure, but things would be too complicated, having a little kid be so attached to him, and things would only get messy. So he waited until a decent amount of years passed and then he started searching. He went to Montana first, which was, of course, stupid. But he couldn't help himself. He stopped by to see Chess and Hannah's mom, who had been informed of the car accident. Chess had died shortly after Hannah, strangely enough, three years later, due to Cancer. Hannah's mom lived on, sad but coping quite well- better then Thierry. He missed her gentle ways, soft smile, wise eyes, perfect hair...and just her in general, her prescence. He had looked in China, all of Russia, India, Great Britain, Australia, South America, Central America. He had people searching in Canada and Hong Kong, Japan, and Texas. He'd already been to California, Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, Massachussets, Alabama, Arizona, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illionis, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Lousianna, Maine, Mary-Land, Rhose Island, and Connecticut. Oregon, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississipi, Montana, Nebraska, and New Hampshire were all fails. South Dakotah, North Dakotah, and New Jersey just as well. He'd just gone to New York in the hopes of finding her using help with Gillian Lennox, a lost witch who now belonged to circle daybreak and had gladly paired up with Thea Harman, Poppy North, and Iliana Dominick to cast a powerful spell to strengthen the bond to the point where it was almost easy, once in a state, to find his soulmate. But he couldn't go to every state or city or capital in the world; that took too many years. He couldn't live long without Hannah. And so on he went, sending hundreds of others to search for Hannah. A few people had called on false alarms; Japan, Mexico D.F, Arizona, Michigan, and Chile searchers had called him with words of excitement, saying they found a girl to fit the description of Hannah Snow, of Hana of the three rivers, but they were all false. Japan was just a girl that looked wise with brown hair, but she dyed it blond and so it looked as if she was a dirty blond, but she was no Hannah. Hana wasn't in Chile, or Mexico, or Michigan. In Arizona they had spotted a lost witch named Roni Sanchez, with dark blond hair and light green, gold speckled eyes, who had joined Circle Daybreak and made friends with Poppy and Gillian right away. Thierry had been very upset and would've fired those who called in false alarms, but he couldn't afford to lose any searchers; finding Hannah was he was so engrossed in finding her that he forgot to feed. New York was definitely a fail. Right now he was raking newspapers with his eyes, scanning the pages for any sights of Hannah. Nothing. He groaned, for how long would he have to go on without her?

Little did he know that a certain shapeshifting panther was roaming around the Colorado streets, on a mission different than the HSISM (Hannah Snow International Search Mission), to stumble upon the dark alleys behind a starbucks coffee, where screaming hurt its ears. Raksha Keller wasn't expecting to turn around to look at the source of the screaming and find Hannah Snow, of course.


	3. Chapter 3: Keller

**A/N: This is my first time trying to write Hannah, and Hannah is quite an interesting character...i hope you enjoyed. Four reviews, highly appreciated. Glad :) Thanks and keep them coming! **

**Disclaimer: Um, L.J. Smith owns our life :) And, of course, Night World. I'm not sure whether i own Anya or L.J. Smith does...what do you think? I, of course, made Anya up, but technically, she's the reincarnation of Hannah Snow, which was made by Smith...so. Who owns Anya? Review with the answer! Disclaimer, im putting you on hold while i find the answer. **

**Seriously, review answer, cuz i have no clue. hehe :P **

**P.S i got a new username :D Oh and i've started fasting. 500 calories a day at the most! **

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><p><strong><em>~Chapter 3~ <em>**

**_Keller _**

Raksha Keller growled, a low threatening sound.

She wished humans didn't wail so much, and that they didn't do is at such a high volumme. It was so inconsiderate, after all, didn't they know that some people were born with sensitive hearing? For example, shapeshifting panthers? Keller growled again, more out of annoyance this time. She bent her head low and took a step forward, sniffing. The screaming pierced her ears still like glass, sharp and clear to her much enhanced panther like hearing. Everything was bigger, brighter, and more sensitive for Keller now, in this form. She shut her blue eyes for a minute, counting backwards from twenty in her head. After doing it twice, the screaming ceased. Keller sniffed the air again, and her head snapped back up- she'd caught a familiar scent...and what was it? She sniffed again, pacing around the dark alley. It smelled faintly like coffee and harshly like garbage. After all, it was an alley, and it was behind a starbucks. Actually, it was more to the side...but it wasn't the filth or coffee or plastic that caught her attention. It was a smell she recognized, a smell that set off a thousand warning bells in her memory. But from where? Keller sniffed again, ignoring the other smells. It was a little like vanilla and burnt sugar, and it gave her warm senses and the thoughts of gentleness and fires. And safety, and...what was that? Well, she'd have to find out with her very own eyes- but of course, she couldn't go out in public as a panther. Not unless it was an emergency, an assignment like Iliana's had been. Iliana had been a good witch, and she was very old now, having shed her Maiden status. She ramined the same, naive, innocent little girl, though. Keller shook her head and phased, back ripling, face melting away into one with pale skin and long, dark hair that swirled about her like the snow storm that has began earlier. She growled again, but it came out more like "Hmm," because she was human now, wearing black leather pants, boots and a long sleeve button up. In Annoyance, she kicked over a can full of plastic and styrofoam cups - "Try not to ruin anything this time," Thierry had told her with sad eyes and a smile. She didn't care- these people should be recycling anyway.

Keller casually walked into the sidewalk, where a Chipotle, Hallmark, and Starbucks settled, along with a gas station, Dominoes Pizza, Blockbuster and King Soopers market. Colorado was a nice mix of city and nature, but Keller still wondered about the weather. Why was it so wet here? As a feline, she hated showers, let alone rain or snow. She supressed an annoyed growl and pushed the door inside to a Starbucks coffee shop, where the smell of vanilla and burnt sugar led her. Maybe it really was just the starbucks ingredients, but it seemed to have a mix of human in there, too. Keller narrowed her eyes and looked around, doing a quick 360 to be warned of danger. No - it was clean. She was really doing bad, getting off task- but...curiosity ate the cat. right? Keller fisted her hands by her sides and kept away from the table full of teenage boys. The more she went to the right, the bigger and heavier the smell...Keller suddenly straightened, jerking her head left. There, by the fire, drying off with a girl with black hair and green eyes, was the source of the smell.

It was Hannah Snow.

It wasn't, but it was- the girl didn't look exactly like Hannah, in fact the eyes were different colored and the blonde hair a few different shades, paler than Keller remembered. The cheeks were higher, the face softer and more...young than last time Keller had seen Hannah. And Hannah had been shorter than this girl. The difference were there, in the curve of her chin and the shape of her nose, the oval of her ears, the not-quite-as-sensous anymore lips, yet Keller knew it was Hannah. She smelled like Hannah had before, and her eyes had the same wise, old and gentle look Hannah's had. Besides, Keller was a panther. They could recognize the reincarnated, because they had a special feeling inside of them that let them know - kinda like dogs knew their owners. And this was definitely Hannah Snow. Raksha Keller looked at the girl, sharpening her pace- and slowing down.

What would she say? DO? She wasn't impulsive, she was smart, and strong. She had plans. But she had not intended to meet Hannah Snow on this trip, this missions - in fact, it had very little to do with Hannah. Nothing at all, actually. She was supposed to track down a group of renegade vampires that were making trouble in Colorado, robbing banks and leaving dead bodies scattered everywhere. Keller decided to forget the previous mission, for she knew Thierry would appreciate it...but he might lecture her as well. Keller watched Anya sip what looked like hot chocolate and laugh at something the black-haired girl said, open her mouth and say: "I can't believe you did that, Jess! I'd be grounded for years. And speaking of, i think we should join the Student Council, or the No Place for Hate campaign at school..." Yeah, that was Hannah, always joining extracurricular clubs and helping the world and her school. Keller rolled her eyes and quickly flipped open her silver cell phone, pressing number two on speed dial. Number one was, of course, Galen. But he was off with Winnie and Lupin on a completely different mission, in Africa. She missed him - too bad, because this was time for action. Get ready, Thierry.

The phone rang about five times before Thierry picked up.

"Thierry."

Keller snorted, but didn't comment on his answering tone. Then she turned serious and all business, as usual. "Lord Thierry, i believe i've found-"

"Keller? How very nice to hear from you. Is Colorado beautiful?"

Keller huffed in irritation. "Yes, wonderful. Listen, Thier-"

"That's good. I was thinking of buying a Circle Daybreak meeting house there."

"Nice, Sir. Anyway, i've found-"

"Is it snowing? It never snows in Nevada. And i'm only a few hours away. Is it like in the movies, Keller?"

"NO. Sir, i have to tell you NOW-"

Keller heard a small choking sound, then coughing. Her eyes snapped towards the blonde girl on the couch by the fire, who had spilled a little of her hot chocolate. Hannah's face was red, and she was pressing a small and delicate hand against her chest. Keller took a step towards her, ready to save Hannah, but after a few more coughs she was okay, thanking the other girl for her concern and waving a hand in the air casually. Keller breathed a sigh of relief- Thierry wouldn't be very pleased if she said she'd called to find Hannah...dead. Hannah was looking at her with wide eyes, a flicker of recognition in them. Keller wondered if Thierry's name rang a bell.

"What's wrong, keller? Don't raise your voice. It's bad for your lungs, and it causes a spectacle."

Keller's nosetrils flared. She held the phone so tightly, she almost broke it. "Sir, i found _her." _Thierry did not get the message. After a long pause, he said, "The leader of the renegade vampires? Your task was to imprison them, not find them, and then tell Rashel to do the killing." Keller let out a small growl of outrage. Thierry could be so freaking dense. "Sir, i'm not talking about-" He interrupted once again. Anger swelled in her like a huge, black and red balloon, ready to burst and explode any minute, as it grew larger. "You should follow directions, Keller."

She exploded.

"YOU'RE NOT LISTENING! I wasn't talking about the va- my mission!" She glared at the floor and bit her tongue. She'd almost said vampires and renegades in front of a half full, half empty coffee shop, where everyone was human. Except for maybe one of the teenage boys, who looked like a werewolf. She shut her eyes for a minute, counting backwards again and scratching her thighs, ignoring the stares of people. She expected a lecture from Thierry, but after a period of quiet, he said, "I'm sorry, what were you trying to say, then?" and Keller took a deep breath, and said, "The..." And then stalked into the bathrooms, locking the door behind her. She sighed. "The girl, Thierry. I found her. Hannah?"

There was such a long pause from the other end. No breathing. Keller's eyebrows knit together. "Sir?"

"I'm here. Tell me, are you sure? If you're wrong, Keller, i'll feed you cat food for the rest of the year."

Good old Thierry, she thought, leaning against a stall. Keller popped a mint and said coolly, "That won't be necessary, seeing as i'm positive this is her. I can smell her, i can feel her, and when i mentioned your name, she almost choked, and her eyes got huge."

Five minutes, or years, of silence again.

"You've talked to her?"

"Not directly. But she heard me on the phone. And the other girl, Ket ot Chess, is with her again. Green eyes and everything. Pretty easy to recognize."

"What's her new name?"

"Jess."

"That's strange. Almost always her name has an 'A' in it."

Keller cleared her throat. "No, that's Chess's new name- Jess. I don't know Hannah's, but i can find out."

"Good, Keller. You're in Colorado, right?"

"Yes, in a starbucks coffee shop in downtown Boulder. Hurry, because i have to get back to my mission."

"I myself will be shortly arriving in Colorado, no complications to do with you. Good job."

Keller gave a tight smile to the mirror in front of her, pawing at the plastic flowers sitting on blue vases. "Thanks. Over." She clicked a red button, and the call ended. The silence was infinite. She unlocked the door, took a deep breath and made herself presentable. Her face had been splotched with red from her anger, but all that seemed so silly now. She cleared her throat and walked towards the fire place, having no idea what to say, but going anyway.

She sat down in a comfortable chair not even three feet away from Hannah and Chess, pretending to text into her phone. It was all baloney. She didn't even have texting in the new phone Thierry gave her for missions. Keller finally decided on the oldest trick in the book, and hoped her voice sounded casual when she said, "Do you have the time?" Jess - Chess - looked up, startled at her bluntness (it was obvious in her eyes), but Hannah just smiled softly and took out her cell phone, It was a white version of Keller's. And it had little stickers.

"It's...oh. About five O'Clock?"

Jess whistled. "Wow. We missed the big student council meeting, Anya."

Anya, Keller noted. Good. Now we need a last name...or a place. "Oh, you guys go to that highschool a couple of blocks away?" Jess shot her quizzical looks, saying "What do you care?" through her eyes. Anya's eyes narrowed a little, a flicker of recognition there- like Keller, she almost remembered her, but not quite. There was a veil blocking her memories from now.

"Yeah, we do...do i know you from somewhere?" Keller's heartbeat sped up. Her blood raced, because maybe Hannah remembered. It would be so simple then... but just as that candle of recognition sparked to a full flame, it was blown out.

"I..." Keller began, but Hannah shook her head, looking so much like her old self for a minute Keller was baffled. "Nevermind." Hannah (Anya) said, turning back to her small book. Jess watched with big, wide eyes and raised eyebrows the entire time, occasionally sipping her black coffee. Keller waited, then turned back to her phone. She stood up, silently walked outside. It was still snowing. She dialed.

"Thierry."

"Anya. Boulder Highschool. Sixteen."

With that, Keller hung up.

**~*Thierry*~ **

He gaped at the phone in his hand, eyes sad and long, as always, deep in thought. He leaned forward from the back of the limo, and told Carson, his new driver, "Carson? Forget the enclave. Turn back around and go to the airport." He hadn't seen Hannah since the ending of the apocalypse. And now...he didn't know. He wanted to see her, hold her in his arms as he had so many years before. Him, and her, together. It was literally meant that way. A silver cord said so. And yet, this time, it didn't feel right. Maybe because Maya was finally missing. It was too...easy.

Well, Thierry thoughts. It is too easy now. But nothing's that easy for me.

Something will go wrong.

He could feel it in the way the hair on his neck stood up.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Not my best chapter. They kept going off character and not acting like themselves...i think i managed to get Hannah to act a little like herself at the end, but still...trust me, these are difficult characters to write. I mean, old soul Hannah? Old soul. Hard. And then sad, deep, thoughtful and gentle yet firm and comanding Thierry? Mhm. Keller...is just complex period. How does Galen deal with her? **


	4. Chapter 4: Just who is she, anyway?

**A/N: I will still apologize but I won't try to stop you from slaughtering me for not updating in, like, a year. It's hard to get back into a story that has faded from my mind for so long, but don't worry, I have ideas for it. Anyhow, I'll let you throw pineapples and bird nests at me without complaint. **

**Disclaimer: No. I refuse to do this. **

**Really, I refuse. **

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4<strong>

It was raining. The clouds swirled above her like a mass of sorrow and dried paint, expelling thin drops of precipitation rather quickly. The drops were freezing cold, and if the temperature dropped any more it would turn to ice or hail. She wasn't surprised about the weather changing, but she was rather surprised about the speed of the rain and the ominous way in which it had changed right after her peculiar encounter with the black haired woman who had introduced herself as Keller.

At first she had seemed so normal, asking for the time and then questioning them about normal conversation topics relating to school and extracurricular activities. Then, her questions sped up, and Anya had noticed a slightly desperate, excited gleam in her eyes. She started questioning her about everything, and stopped asking Jess anything, even though previously she had been attempting conversation with both of them. Did Anya leave nearby? What street? Near the school? How often did she come to this coffee shop? What other places did she like to visit? Why? Where would she most often be found? Hannah did her best to answer them without giving the girl too much information, but she had been growing increasingly uncomfortable. Jess, who had noticed this - they were best friends for a reason - had taken Anya's hand and stood, pulling Anya along with her. She'd concocted a smooth, believable lie about them having to be at the school to set up for Parents Night. Keller had seemed completely doubting of their excuse, but had left anyway, her black hair rippling like flowing black ink as she slipped out the door. After her exit, both girls finished their drinks and Anya asked for a delivery bag to place her books in. By the time they left as well, it was raining, and Anya was glad she'd taken the bag.

Anya stared up at the darkening, pale gray sky with a small smile. She loved the rain. Tugging down the ears of her winter hat and tucking the bag full of books beneath her arm, Anya hugged Jess, thanked her for the lie, and parted towards her house. She lived in a slightly remote road, Cherry Creek Place. Her house was hidden behind thick cherry, pear, and oak wood trees, as well as pines and various other kinds of plants and trees. But if you followed the worn dirt road, you'd arrive at her driveway. Many people got lost or confused when they tried to find her house; her house was concealed that well. Anya knew the way by heart, and she let her mind wander back to the raven haired woman with the icy blue eyes and snow colored skin.

She had been very beautiful, and something about her fluid movements reminded Anya of a panther, or some sort of flexible feline. She'd worn dark clothes, which only added to the effect. Her voice had been friendly, but Anya got the feeling that she was not one to pry or interrogate, as much as her actions proved otherwise. And despite her beauty, she got the feeling that the girl was neither aware of her looks nor did she flaunt them. And there had been something exceedingly poignant and guarded about her expression. Despite her questions and easy to follow conversation, Anya felt as if the girl was keeping something from her. As if, though she had been asking a thousand questions, Keller had known more about Anya than she herself did.

Anya reached the wooden front door of her house, sliding back the screen door and fishing for her keys. She frowned when she felt around her pocket to find empty space, and trotted off the porch steps and jumped over the wire fence that led into her vast backyard. She lived in a bit of a farm; her backyard had a barn, pigs, a chicken house, and a vegetable garden. She disliked the chores, but she loved the smell in the air; the hay, the dirt, the freshly watered crops. It all attributed to a fantastically natural smell that she felt depicted the outdoors perfectly. Anya walked past the vegetable garden and ignored the chickens that flocked to her as she made her way to the back door, which was always open during the day time. She slid open the glass doors, wiped the mood off her shoes at the edge of the wooden porch steps, and entered the house. She was instantly greeted with the smell of beans and cooking bread, along with the talking of a monotonous voice coming from the TV. She could hear sizzling and banging sounds coming from the kitchen, meaning her father was cooking dinner. Anya kicked off her shoes at the back entrance and dropped her books atop a coffee table, which was full of paperwork and magazines laying open. She hung her coat and walked into the kitchen, only to fall over once she saw who was there.

Well, to be more accurate, once she realized her father wasn't alone. Her father was dressed in his usual pink checkerboard apron, baggy jeans and button up blue shirt. He was tossing chicken into the air using a pan, adding oil and slicing vegetables. Next to him was a girl with midnight hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall, wearing a leather pants, combat boots and a turtleneck sweatshirt, all in black. She turned to face Anya and gave her an apathetic glance, but Anya saw a gleam of relief in Keller's eyes.

"Oh, Anya! Welcome back, pumpkin. I'm making dinner rolls with bean custard and chicken. It'll be done in a little while." Anya didn't take her eyes off Keller as her father walked over to kiss her cheek. She embraced him and asked if she could help with the dinner preparations. When her father reclined, Anya smiled softly and asked as nonchalantly as possible when she asked, "Keller, what brings you here?" Somehow, she knew Keller wouldn't tell her the truth, but she didn't feel as if it'd hurt to at least ask.

"You've met each other? Great, then you can show Keller to her room."

"Her room? She'll be staying with us?" Anya kept her voice balanced, but inside she was panicking. And she wasn't sure why. But something about this girl unnerved her.

"Only for a little while. She's a distant relative, and she's here to visit while her parents return from a business trip in Japan."

Anya knew this was a lie. She'd met every member of her family at the family reunions that happened every summer. But somehow, her father seemed to believe this wholeheartedly, and Anya didn't want to arouse any sort of dispute by denying that the girl was related to them. Her father didn't say anything else, and Anya motioned for Keller to follow her up the carpeted stairs. In her panic she almost slipped, but Keller steadied her remarkably quickly; too quickly for a human. Anya thanked her and did breathing exercises. Of course Keller was human. She couldn't be anything but human...right?

They entered the second floor of the house, and Anya realized she had no idea where Keller would be staying. There were only two bedrooms, one for her father and one for herself. Two restrooms and a small closet completed the top floor. She paused halfway down the left hall and decided it'd make most sense for Keller to room with her. As she opened the closet and pulled out multiple blankets and pillows, she asked interrogated Keller.

"So your parents are business people?"

"Er, yes." Her question had caught Keller off guard. Anya got the feeling that didn't happen often.

"What business are they in?"

"Technology," Keller lied smoothly, this time not even batting an eye. Okay; so she'd thought of this cover story prior to the visit, and had memorized it so well the response was automatic. Anya could still feel the lack of honesty in her words.

"Why are they visiting Japan, exactly?"

"They were invited to a convention there."

"I see. And you couldn't accompany them?"

"No. They prefer it when I don't...interfere with them." At her words, Anya felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. Whether or not they were lying, stuff like this always got to her. She could imagine how sad she'd be if her father left her behind beacuse he felt she got in his way.

"Oh," Her sympathy bled onto into her words. Anya had to remind herself that she didn't trust this girl. They arrived at Anya's room, which was moderately large and carpeted. The walls were painted a pale gold, and her shelves were lined with artifacts and fossils. There were dinosaur posters all over the room, and a hundred books on the Jurassic period. Hannah looked at her wooden couch and set up the blankets there, then asked Keller if she'd brought any clothes. Anya had expected her to, but Keller shook her head. "It was a last second visit, but I can have a few bags sent here...I'll only be staying for a few days. Probably not even for the rest of the week."

Anya nodded and opened her drawers, taking a quick look at Keller's body. She was muscular, though not masculine in shape, and had long legs and arms. She was taller than Anya, and slim. Their body types were completely different, and Anya struggled to find any clothes that would make comfortable pajamas. Finally she settled on an oversized white shirt from the Bass Pro Shops and a pair of basketball shorts. On Anya, the shirt fit like a dress, brushing against her knees, but Keller was considerably taller. "You can wear those until your bags get here. You can look through my clothes and try to find something that might fight, but I can't guarantee I'll have anything." Anya smiled sheepishly. Keller opened her mouth to say something, but just then her father called out that dinner was ready.

"We'll be right down," Anya called, and promptly disappeared down the stairs, waving Keller to follow her.

* * *

><p>It was midnight now, and Keller could not sleep. It was so frustrating; all of it, every single part. She hadn't meant to come across Hannah here. She was supposed to be investigating renegade vampire activity, not playing house. She knew how important it was for Circle Daybreak to find Lady Hannah, but Keller didn't have the time, patience, or natural inclination for this job. She'd worked extremely hard to appear friendly and outgoing when she'd met Hannah and Chess, but she wasn't social enough to ask questions subtly. After trying, she'd just given up and returned to her blunt ways, asking fairly personal questions. No wonder Hannah didn't trust her; that much, at least, was clear.<p>

And she didn't really know how to proceed. Thierry had told her to impersonate as Hannah's cousin to gather more information about the girl, but only for the remainder of the week. That seemed easy enough, but she didn't know what to do. Hannah had avoided her gaze all through dinner and went promptly to bed afterwards. Keller had conversed with her father for a little longer, but he hadn't been exactly informative. Mostly he'd begin gushing about how cute and intelligent Hannah was, and would start showing Keller photos of Hannah as a child or showing off her academic awards. It was extremely infuriating, and Keller didn't know what to do. She tossed, and the mattress creaked beneath her strong body. Hannah really hadn't changed. She'd given Keller her bed and insisted upon it, sleeping on the hard, unforgiving wooden couch instead. She was just as selfless and as kind as she'd been years ago.

Keller tossed, tugging down her basketball shorts. They were too short and too small, clinging to her curving muscles and thighs like spandex. The shirt reached to just past her hips, and it was fine, but she'd feel much more comfortable if she could just take off the clothes and sleep naked. Of course, she could already pictured Hannah's mortified face in the morning, and she decided to keep them on.

Keller glanced at the bedside clock. Red letters jumped out harshly at her. 1:02 AM. Her head hurt. Her thoughts were a mess. She huffed and kicked her covers, not sure what to do with herself. She need activity. She needed to do something physically challenging. Yet she could hardly do anything. She mentally cursed Thierry, sitting up and pulling her long midnight hair into a ponytail. She reached past the bed, to where her black clothes lay in a rumpled heap, and searched for her cell phone in the depths of her pants. The warm plastic felt smooth beneath her fingers, and she brought it up to her face, checking for any messages. She had quite a few, and it'd keep her entertained for a while.

**11 Text Messages**

**8 Voice Mails**

**5 Missed Calls**

**1 Picture Message**

Keller looked at the missed calls first, as always. One was from Iliana, which she always ignored. She knew that Iliana wouldn't call her if she were in trouble. Perhaps Winnie or Nissa would, even Galen or Thierry, but Iliana always forgot her cell phone and hardly had any data on it. Besides, her first instinct was always to panic, not call her bodyguard. The other missed call was from Rashel Jordan, her twin sister. She pondered whether or not to call back, but because it was 1:04 A.M she decided to do it in the morning, if anything. The last call was from Thierry, and she didn't hesitate to click the green callback button straight away. Thierry didn't sleep anyway. He answered on the first ring; he always did. He seemed glued to his phone at all times.

"Thierry."

"You called, Sir."

"Keller? Good. I was wondering if you had any new information on the Hannah case." Keller grunted, tugging at her ponytail in irritation. It felt as if the hot air in the room was pressing against her, making her sweaty and even more restless than before. She shifted her weight; the bed screeched in protest.

"Tons, sir. Her full name is Anya Drakymir. She lives in 5010 Cherry Creek Place, Boulder. Colorado, but you know that. She lives alone with her father in a small farm. Sixteen, as I assumed earlier. Sophomore. Student Council treasurer. Extremely intelligent, placed in the Top 10 highest for the CAT in the state. Wants to be an archeologist. Hangs out around Starbucks Coffee Shop, and is at school for two hours after the end of the day for student council activities."

"...does she...?"

Keller felt slightly pained as she answered. "No, sir...nothing at all."

Silence.

"...I see." He sounded sad and lost, as he had been for a while now. Keller let him be and waited for instructions, fiddling with her pajama shirt.

"I'll enroll you at the school instantly. I'm arriving in Colorado early this morning; can you meet me at the airport? I'm on the plane right now.

"Sir, I have no means of transportation. Most people sleep at one in the morning!"

"I can have Lupe send you a taxi. We need to meet to discuss matters and how to proceed."

"Fine," Keller said grouchily. She blew at her fringes and wrinkled her nose. "But I'm not taking the blame if I get caught sneaking out. And you'll do the damage control, got it?"

A dry chuckle.  
>"Almost sounds like you're ordering me around. Galen told me to tell you he contacted you. The taxi will be there in an half an hour. My plane arrives at 3:15 A.M."<p>

"Tell him to do it at a suitable time," She snapped, "And that I'm on an important mission-"

"He said you'd say that. He wanted me to reply that he knows, but he'd like you to read his messages."

Keller was terrified, because she had a feeling that all 11 text messages were from Galen. She was about to snap at Thierry again, but she took a deep breath through her teeth and forced herself to calm down. She really should get some rest - no sleep made her extremely irritable - but she knew she couldn't. Instead, she ended the call and scrolled through all 11 messages.

_From: Galen Drache_

_Keller. I KNOW you're too busy to deal with me, but if you could, please call me tonight. I'm not as useful as you are to Circle Daybreak. I'm not on missions. I stay here watching over Iliana and Poppy and everything I see makes me think of you. Please try to call me. Sometime. Any time. Any day. I'll be waiting. _

She felt a pang of regret and warmth in her chest at his words. He wasn't as useless as he thought; he just wasn't a fighter. But Keller knew he was extremely useful. He provided all sorts of information, and was studying healing plants and herbs. He was great at deciphering things. And she missed him; terribly, as if half of her entire body was missing. She could function, but it didn't feel quite right. Something was always missing. That would be Galen; and the fact that he knew how she'd react made it worse. She wished she didn't have such a temper at times. But she was glad he understood her well enough to know she did care, did love him, despite her cold and temperamental words at times.

She couldn't call him now, despite the any time. She knew they'd end up talking for hours, and she didn't want to deprive him of sleep. The next messages were similar, but began to sound more like he was keeping a diary through the messages. He told her about his day, how things were, how he felt. The picture message was of Poppy riding a plastic horse a the grocery store, the kind that required fifty cents to function. She had one arm raised above her head like a cowboy and was making a childish, hilarious face. Keller rolled her eyes, but she was glad Galen had someone so active to keep him...busy. Poppy never bored anyone.

The last message was a poem that brought tears to her eyes. In that moment, she missed her soulmate more than ever. Missed his warmth, his soft skin, his princely smile and gentle eyes. Eyes like sunshine bleeding through green tree leaves. Eyes that loved her completely, accepted her. Eyes she loved. She missed everything about him, and she felt cold. She wrapped a blanket around herself and shook the thoughts and feelings out of her body, blinking a few times and counting to ten. Time to focus on other things. She was on a mission; she couldn't afford to get sentimental or distracted. She'd see him soon enough, but only if she worked hard. She turned to her mobile device again, checking the voice mails.

_"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, Keller! It's Iliana! I just wanted to say that today I went shopping and I found these really cu-" _

_Beep. _

Keller glared at the phone's brightly lit screen, pressing delete. She got too many similar, pointless voice mails from Iliana or Gillian Lennox. The only time Iliana wanted to use her phone was for recording her daily discoveries at the shops.

The next four were also from Iliana, and she deleted those. The other two were from Galen. With a pain in her heart, she stared at her phone for a long time, admiring the sleek black frame and silver keys. Finally, she deleted them, too. She knew she'd just tear up if she heard his voice. It'd just make her fall apart again. She listened to the last one, from Ash Redfern.

_"Hey, sis!" _He had gotten in the annoying habit of calling her that. Apparently, since he and Quinn were adopted brothers, once Rashel married Quinn, be default Keller and Ash would be brother and sister.

_"DO NOT CALL ME THAT." _She hissed into the phone angrily, but of course he didn't hear. It was only a voice mail after all.

_"I heard you found Hannah. Nice going. Find Mary-Lynette next, please. Or rather, bring her back from that god-awful university...'_

"You're pathetic," She screeched quietly, rolling her eyes. Ash was no good without Mare. It was quite comedic, how he looked like a kicked puppy whenever she left back to Harvard. Keller didn't mope around all day when she and Galen were separated, but she could still understand how he felt, and if she hadn't been Keller, she might've done that moping thing. "Good thing I am Keller," she thought out loud. She - for some reason - listened to the rest of the message as well.

_"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that the group of renegade vampires you were tracking down have attacked again, near Aurora. Thierry's transferring you over to the Hannah mission, so I'll be taking over for you regarding your previous assignment. I might be in town this week for that, so please send me any information you might have that I don't. The attack was seemingly spontaneous; a bunch of humans were attacked at this Night Club, called something like the chicken house or whatever-"_

Ash's messages were usually pretty useful and relevant, but he had a tendency to focus on the most irrelevant things more, or to go off topic too often for her liking. She impatiently tightened her ponytail.

"_About twenty-one humans were harmed out of about two hundred that were in the club. Not too bad. They left a trail, which has been marked off, but the police think it was just some drunks assaulting them. They were all female, mind you. Anyhow, I was wondering if you could check out the scene. I'll get you the name of the club when you call me back. I was just thinking that if the police get a closer look before we do, they might find something weird with the attacks, which we don't want. This happened just today at around ten at night, so the police put if off until tomorrow morning. Try to get a look around before then, please. Also, I'll pay you if you get Mary-Lynette to-" _

Keller hung up. His messages always ended the same; she wasn't missing anything. The shape shifter ran a hand absentmindedly through her black tresses, and decided that there was no way she'd be getting any sleep for the rest of the week. She'd developed this insomnia a few weeks ago, and only Galen knew about her trouble with sleeping, because he knew everything. About her. At first, it'd made her extremely uncomfortable, but now Keller was a little glad. Though she'd never admit it, not having to hide things or pretend that everything was fine when it wasn't made her relieved. She'd always held her emotions bottled up inside her heart, her troubles in the deepest corners of her mind, and she hadn't come to realize how emotionally tiring that was until she had stopped doing it. Her chest contracted, and she quickly wiped her mind clean of all things Galen or emotion related. Keller looked at the time. 1:10 A.M.

She sighed and rolled out of the bed quietly, picking up her pants and slipping the basketball shorts off. Most girls her age would be sneaking out to meet a boyfriend, or to go to a party at this time; not that Keller was even remotely attracted to doing such meaningless things, but it was a bit strange that she was going to pick up a thousand year old vampire at the airport. She wondered why Thierry couldn't seem to take airplanes during normal hours. After zipping up her black combat boots, Keller headed for the door, but paused when she remembered that it would be unusual and quite a predicament for Hannah to wake up and find her missing. Quickly, Keller stuffed a few pillows under the sheets and tucked the blanket around the pillows to give the effect of a body lying beneath. She buttoned the last of her winter jacket and headed for the window to the west of the room, which looked out into the porch and a red wood tree. Keller stealthily slid open the window and made sure it was unlocked before closing it again. She held on to the window ledge as she lowered herself onto the sturdiest branch she could find, wrapping her slender fingers tightly around the rough, syrupy branches. Leaves and twigs harshly brushed against her moonlit flesh, and the pigs began to squeal as she made her way past the backyard, hopping over a rusty wire fence to get to the front. She took one more look at the house and deemed it safe. Keller ran a few meters away from the house and stood at the very beginning of the dirt road, in front of the monstrous trees that blocked any outside view of the house to passerby's. She flipped open her phone for the second time that night and dialed for a taxi.

She didn't care if she got there too early. She didn't want stay in that room doing absolutely nothing for an hour. She was the type of person who could easily be called a workaholic; she had to be doing something at all times, or she felt restless and anxious. She felt as if the world moved too fast while she sat there and waited. She felt as if time were slipping through her fingers like melting ice, cold and beautiful but cruel as it fell to the ground despite her attempts to keep it within her hands. She always had to me on the move.

The taxi arrived ten minutes later. She wondered what the taxi Thierry sent for would do when nobody came out of the house to partake in its services. Keller slipped into the comfortable leather of the backseats and inhaled the sharp smell of cigarette smoke and pine cleaner. She frowned and leaned towards the front of the car. The driver had his dark baseball cap pulled down, and dark, oversized sunglasses covered most of his face. But even with the high-necked sweater and glasses, the facial structure and bits of jet black hair peeking out from underneath the hat told Keller everything she needed to know. She slammed the door behind her, locked it, and ripped the sunglasses off the driver's face.

"What are you doing here, Quinn?"

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><p>Anya slowly sat up, watching as the red lights faded further and further into the distance. She stood up, stretching her cramped legs, and brushed a few stray twigs and leaves from her hair. A few thorns had found their way to her bare legs and created long scratches on her fair skin, and a jagged rock had cut her foot. Next time she'd bring slippers.<p>

After the car got far enough away, Anya slowly made her way to the beaten up brown truck her mother had bought three years ago, after their other car had stopped working. She'd always hated driving, especially in trucks; whether someone else was steering, or whether she was the one behind the wheel, Anya always felt a strong anxiety take hold of her. Still, her curiosity was strong. She _had_ to know where the black haired stranger called Keller was going at 1:20 in the morning. She _had_ to know who she'd been talking to on the phone, and why she had lied about her family. Most importantly, she had to know who Keller was picking up at the airport.

Aside from her unyielding curiosity, Anya had a strange feeling of sorrow and loneliness inside her chest. This wasn't necessarily unusual for her, but somehow, she felt as if Keller had all the answers to Anya's turmoil, as if she knew exactly why Anya felt the way she did, and how to fix it. She shook her head vigorously and ran a hand through her wheat colored hair. None of this made sense; it was completely irrational to think that Keller, a person she'd just met today, would know more about Anya than her own mother, or that she would know all the psychological solutions to Anya's problems. It was even more irrational to follow her out of the single thought that following her would explain everything. She was being completely illogical and immature. She should turn around and go back to sleep.

She tugged open the truck door and slipped inside.

Anya had never run away or snuck out before. She knew it was normal for most adolescent girls at her age to sneak off to meet their secret boyfriends, drink, smoke, or do something equally as damaging, reckless and stupid. Still, the knowledge that this was a common act amongst her generation didn't take away the heaviness that inflated her heart as she put the keys in the ignition, switched gears, and pressed on the gas pedal, quickly backing out of the driveway. The guilt made her hands shake, but neither her fear of driving nor her guilt was strong enough to stop her from following after the yellow car that drove a few miles ahead.

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><p><strong>AN: Not a whole lot happened this chapter. Actually, pretty much nothing did, but...I'm not sure. I'll make the next one ALOT more eventful, trust me! Please bear with me. I've had writers block for the past 10 months and am just now returning to writing, I can't seem to do it as well as before...I'm just so uninspired...but for this story I have some ideas.**

**Please bear with me! And yes, John Quinn is HERE! That sexy beast :3**

**Oh, and aren't you wondering if Rashel is here too?**

**There will be a big gathering of cast members soon... ^_^**

**-Moi**

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><p><strong>AN: Thierry and Hannah meet next chapter. I just wanted to publish SOMETHING, so sorry if it's short! Gomen :D**


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